Taxi Driver Detained for More Than a Year Following Arrest

(Minghui.org) A taxi driver from Hubei Province has been detained since last June after he was arrested for practicing Falun Gong, a mind-body practice persecuted by the communist regime since 1999.

Mr. Xiang Debin, in his 50s, was arrested on his way to work on June 22, 2017 and then sent directly to Banqiao Village Brainwashing Center right after.

The police took his keys and searched his home without his presence. Mr. Xiang's wife, Ms. Feng Xiaoying and her sister, Ms. Feng Xiaomi, were at home when the police arrived. The police also took the two sisters to the police station. They threatened and forced them to disclose information about Mr. Xiang.

Fearing further persecution, Ms. Feng cooperated with the police in their questions. Both women were released following the interrogation.

The police transferred Mr. Xiang from the brainwashing center to Xian'an District Detention Center on August 29, where he has been held to this day. The procuratorate has approved his case. He is now facing possible indictment.

In the past 19 years of persecution against Falun Gong, Mr. Xiang has been detained four times, including twice at brainwashing centers. He was also sentenced to a forced labor camp for 1.5 years in 2001, where he was forced to make tinfoil products or assemble electronic component without pay. The police ransacked his home several times, causing tremendous mental and financial pressure to his family.